Finmere Reef

A tank of painted water. A few small fish. Some coral that wants time. That is where it starts. Tap the water. Food drifts down. The hungry ones come to eat. — Plant a frag on the reef bed. Give it clear water. Come back, and it has grown. A coral at full size reaches for the cell next door. Twenty-four cells. Room enough. — The glass clouds over as the days go by. Drag the sponge across it. The colour comes back. Nothing is lost if you look away. Fish never die here. The water only turns cloudy, and the fish slow down, until you tidy up. While you are gone, the tank keeps its own time — up to eight hours of it. — Each reef level brings someone new. A royal gramma. A blue tang. A seahorse, eventually. Twelve fish in all. Six kinds of coral. The field guide keeps a page for each one, with a short, plain note about how it lives. — Three tide goals each day. Feed a few hungry fish. Grow a coral to full size. Keep the water clear for a while. Finish all three, and a shell joins your streak. — Watercolour washes. Paper grain. Light moving over the sand. Bubbles from a small stone bubbler. Sound, haptics and reduced motion can each be switched off. Tend it for a minute. Or for longer.